US sues Apple over 'smartphone monopoly'

The US Department of Justice filed suit against Apple on Thursday, accusing it of monopolizing the smartphone market.

The lawsuit is also examining the Apple Wallet, which is the only application allowed on the iPhone to make tap payments in stores. Prosecutors also accuse Apple of making it harder for users to interact with people using Android phones in Apple's messaging app.

Merrick Garland, US Attorney General said "Consumers should not have to pay higher prices because companies break the law. We allege that Apple has employed a strategy that relies on exclusionary, anti-competitive conduct that hurts both consumers and developers. As outlined in our complaint, we allege that Apple has consolidated its monopoly power not by making its own products better, but by making other products worse."

The company said in response that the lawsuit "wrong on the facts and the law" and said it would "vigorously defend against it." Earlier this month, the European Union fined Apple $1.8 billion after it found that the company had been unfairly favoring its own music streaming service over those of its rivals. Apple has also faced antitrust probes in Japan and Korea, as well as lawsuits from rivals such as Epic Games.